Candy Fiber Pull Lesson

Candy Fiber Pull at a glance

Background

Did you know that glass and candy have a lot in common? In this lesson, students will explore the science behind how glass is made and compare it to the process of making sweet treats like cotton candy and lollipops. They’ll learn that both glass and candy are examples of amorphous solids—materials that don’t have a regular arrangement of atoms like metals do.

Students will discover how glass, when heated, becomes soft and can be shaped into different forms, just like how sugar turns into liquid when heated to make cotton candy. They’ll see how, as glass cools, it slowly turns back into a solid, just like how cotton candy solidifies into those thin, sugary strands. By the end of this lesson, students will understand the importance of the glass-liquid transition and how it allows artisans and machines to shape glass into everything from vases to windows.

We’ll also explore how materials like sugar glass are used in movies to create breakable glass props, and how fiberglass insulation is made in a similar way to cotton candy!

Lesson Objective

Students will investigate the unique properties of glass-like materials by observing how Jolly Ranchers® transition between solid and liquid states. This experiment demonstrates the concept of glass-liquid transition and allows students to compare the flexibility and texture of sugar glass fibers.

Experiment Description

Students will melt Jolly Ranchers® in a beaker on a hot plate and pull molten candy into thin fibers. After cooling, they will compare the lengths and textures of these fibers to understand how the candy behaves similarly to glass during the solid-liquid transition.

Materials List

Beaker
Beaker tongs
Hot plate (or microwave)
Jolly Ranchers®
Wooden skewers or popsicle sticks

Safety Precautions

Always use beaker tongs or hot pads to handle the hot beaker, and keep a close watch on the melting Jolly Ranchers® to prevent burning. Allow the beaker and hot plate to cool completely before cleaning.

The Experiment

1. Be sure that the beaker is clean and dry.

2. Place four to six Jolly Ranchers® into the beaker.

3. Place the beaker on the hotplate and set the hotplate to a medium temperature setting.

4. Stir the Jolly Ranchers® while heating for approximately 10 to 15 minutes. The Jolly Ranchers® should begin to melt into a more fluid form. Note: The Jolly Ranchers® can burn! Pay close attention while melting the Jolly Ranchers® and be sure to stir them throughout the heating process. If they start to burn, reduce the heat (or remove the beaker from the heat) and continue to stir. If you have a microwave available in your classroom, it is easier to heat the Jolly Ranchers® in this fashion. You may have a shorter time period to pull the fibers before the Jolly Ranchers® harden again, but you are less likely to burn them.

5. Once the Jolly Ranchers® are in liquid form, use the wooden skewer/popsicle stick to pull one fiber from the beaker by dipping the skewer into the molten Jolly Ranchers® and removing it slowly.

6. Allow students to take turns pulling fibers.

7. Pick four or five students and have each one of them pull a fiber and quickly move away. Have the other students take rough measurements of how long the fiber gets before it breaks. See who can get the longest fiber.

8. Have students compare the flexibility and texture of a short, fat pulled fiber, a long skinny pulled fiber, and a solid Jolly Rancher®.